ASU’s Kenny Dillingham on which players have stood out in spring
ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham spoke with the media about which players have impressed him the most in spring practice.
What a difference just one season can make.
Before the 2024 college football season, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham was ranked near the bottom of most Big 12 football coach rankings, including coming in at No. 14 on a list from USA TODAY Sports.
But after leading Arizona State to an 11-3 record and Big 12 Championship last season, including a Peach Bowl and College Football Playoff appearance, Dillingham has vaulted up some Big 12 football coach rankings for the 2025 season, with one USA TODAY Sports ranking even putting him all the way at No. 1.
That definitely beats being ranked No. 14.
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Why Kenny Dillingham was ranked No. 1 in 2025 Big 12 football coach rankings
Jordan Mendoza wrote of Dillingham’s 2025 ranking: “This may be a case of recency bias, but Dillingham has orchestrated one of the great turnarounds in college football. Returning to his alma mater, he inherited a team reeling from the Herm Edwards era, and it showed with a 3-9 debut season. But after Arizona State was picked to finish last in the Big 12 in 2024, it won the conference and made the College Football Playoff. Dillingham has brought fire back to the Sun Devils and at just 34-years-old, he’s setting the path for a long, successful career.”
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2024 Big 12 coach ranking said Dillingham could ‘skyrocket’ up rankings
Interestingly, Tony Cosolo, who compiled the 2024 Big 12 coach ranking cited earlier, wrote this about Dillingham before last season, foreshadowing the Sun Devils coach’s rise: “Kenny Dillingham has been put into a tough spot at Arizona State, being tasked with rebuilding Sun Devils after the disastrous tenure of Herm Edwards. Dillingham should be given grace entering his second season and could skyrocket up these rankings if he can get ASU back on track.”
Big 12 football schedule: By week | By team | Strength of schedule rankings | Power rankings | Top games
Where other Big 12 coaches standing in football rankings
BYU’s Kalani Sitake is No. 2 in the new Big 12 football coach rankings provided by USA TODAY Sports, with Iowa State‘s Matt Campbell third and Kansas State‘s Chris Klieman fourth.
Colorado’s Deion Sanders rounds out the top five.
As for the worst coaches in the Big 12 right now, Mendoza ranks Cincinnati’s Scott Satterfield at No. 14, Arizona’s Brent Brennan at No. 15 and UCF’s Scott Frost at No. 16.
But as Dillingham has proved, those rankings can change very fast.
To see the entire Big 12 football coach ranking from USA TODAY Sports, click here.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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